The Valtenesi area is a land of castles and churches, distinguished by towns and villages which are evidence of the secular and religious life which has marked centuries of history. The walled towns of Padenghe and Moniga, still populated, are very attractive, while the battlements of the city walls in Soiano and Puegnago, over which a tower stands, are well-conserved and used for summer performances. Church architecture offers examples ranging from the Romanesque to the Lombard gothic, renaissance and baroque styles. Inside the churches, which are like treasure troves dotted around the countryside, there are frescoes and paintings by some of the most well-known 16th and 17th century Italian artists.